CHRISTMAS shopping will be child’s play this year after a new activity camp for kids was launched in sports and leisure centres throughout Renfrewshire.

Parents can take their children along to the Drop ‘N’ Shop Days and then head off on their own to buy this year’s Christmas presents for family and friends.

And while mum and dad hit the shops, youngsters will be having fun and games with Renfrewshire Leisure staff during the activity sessions between 10am and 3pm.

The next Drop ‘n’ Shop activity day is being held at Johnstone Community Sports Hub, on Saturday, December 10 and the following Saturday, the activity camp moves to Renfrew Leisure Centre.

On Sunday, December 18, Drop ‘n’ Shop is at the ON-X, in Linwood; Thursday, December 22, at Erskine Sports Centre and on Friday, December 23, at The Lagoon, in Paisley. The activity camps cost only £10 per child.

Chief executive of Renfrewshire Leisure, Joyce McKellar said: “The run-up to Christmas can be a very busy and stressful time for adults.

“While the kids are getting excited about Santa Claus and waking up on Christmas Day to lots of presents, they might not be so keen about having to trail round all the shops.
“So, we’re giving parents the chance to drop their kids off at one of our leisure centres where they’ll have loads of Festive fun and games with our fully-trained leisure staff, then the grown-ups can get on with the serious work of Christmas shopping.”

As part of the re-opening of our refurbished car park, we are offering free weekend parking until the end of December 2016. Opening hours at the Piazza are: Mon – Sat 8.00am to 6.30pm and Sun 11am to 5pm.

The Scotland-Malawi Partnership, which promotes country to country links between the two nations, announced the winners at its AGM held at Strathclyde University’s new Technology Centre in Glasgow.

The event was attended by members from the Scottish and Malawi Governments, as well as business and community leaders from both the UK and the Southern African nation.

ohn Riches, Chairman of Just Trading Scotland and COuncillor Jim Sharkey, Chair of the Renfrewshire Fairtrade Steering Group

Just Trading Scotland works in partnership with subsistence farmers in the North of Malawi and have worked immensely hard to introduce people to Malawi’s famous Kilombero rice.

Kilombero, a new style of African rice, is more fragrant and flavourful than traditional long grains and was launched into Co-op stores in Scotland, and to fine foods shops nationally, through distributors Cotswold Fayre and the Cress Company earlier this year.

Councillor Jim Sharkey, Chair of the Renfrewshire Fairtrade Steering Group, said: “This is a fantastic achievement by Just Trading Scotland and I’m delighted one of our steering group members has received this well-deserved accolade.

“The organisation has put in tireless effort for many years to ensure the farmers in Malawi receive a fair deal for their produce and can achieve a sustainable income, and this award is the least they deserve.

“The Kilombero rice is a fantastic addition to our shelves in the UK due to its quality and taste, but most importantly because it is fairly traded. This is vital if those who produce the rice are to benefit fully from the work they put in.”

John Riches, Chairman of JTS, said: “This award recognises the huge efforts which have been made both in Malawi and in Scotland to bring this wonderful smallholder grown rice to consumers in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

“The farmers have worked wonders in improving the quality of their seed and building up their association so they can deliver both quality and volumes.

“The association has grown from 2,500 to 6,500 and they now have a seed bank with over 200MT of certified seed, despite difficulties with rains this year.

“This award is a huge honour and comes just at the right time as now we have the great opportunity to introduce it to new friends though the Co-op stores in Scotland.”

David Hope-Jones OBE, Principal Officer of the Scotland-Malawi Partnership, added: “A very big congratulations to Just Trading Scotland winning the Business and Innovation Impact Award in recognition of their work with smallholder farmers in Malawi.”

“As the network representing the 94,000 Scots actively involved in Malawi links, we’re delighted to support the work of JTS in bringing this fairly traded Malawian rice to Scotland.

“Not only does it taste great but it also provides much needed opportunities for sustainable livelihoods for thousands of smallholder farming families in Malawi.”

Kilombero rice is now available from Co-op stores across Scotland. For more information visit: www.kilombero.co.uk

For more information please contact Just Trading Scotland on 0141 255 0901 or info@jts.co.uk

Have you ever wondered what a credit union is? My Credit Union Renfrewshire will answer all your questions.

We are delighted to announce the launch of a new website, outdoor advertising and radio campaign that will raise awareness of credit unions in Renfrewshire and answer the common question ‘What is a credit union’. To celebrate the launch, we are extending an invitation to the public and press to an event that will take place on Thursday 20th October (International Credit Union day) in the Piazza centre Paisley at 11am.

www.mycreditunionrenfrewshire.co.uk has been designed to promote the benefits of Credit Unions to the people of Renfrewshire. The fresh, easy-to-use website signposts people to credit unions throughout Renfrewshire, lists all their services and highlights the many benefits of saving and borrowing affordably. A key aim is to raise public awareness of credit unions generally and to help people enjoy the benefits of sound money management.

The website is funded by Renfrewshire Council who have committed up to £500,000 of funding to support credit union development in Renfrewshire as a key strand of their Tackling Poverty strategy. This substantial investment has been used in a variety of initiatives to tackle the rise in high cost lending and to provide access to a wider range of ethical and affordable financial products for the Renfrewshire community.

Gleniffer Credit Union, Johnstone Credit Union, Renfrewshire-Wide Credit Union, Scotwest Credit Union and White Cart Credit Union have collaborated on the development of the website to ensure that the Renfrewshire community can make an informed choice on the best credit union for their needs. Paula Ferrier, the Marketing Officer overseeing the website development said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for credit unions in Renfrewshire, to have a campaign that promotes good value financial products and services and the many free benefits that are available. Credit unions are not for profit, member-owned financial cooperatives, so they can’t always compete with the massive marketing budgets that banks and high-cost lenders can deploy. In some ways, credit unions are a well-kept secret! However, more and more people are discovering how much better off they are by joining a credit union, and with over a million members across the UK, mycreditunionrenfrewshire will help open credit union doors to even more people in Renfrewshire.”

To mark the launch of this vibrant new website and to celebrate International Credit Union Day, representatives from all five credit unions will be in the Piazza Centre, Paisley on Thursday 20th October from 11am to 1pm to chat and answer any questions about joining a credit union. Additionally, Councillor Mike Holmes, deputy leader of Renfrewshire Council, and several third sector agencies will be present to help raise awareness of credit unions and help mark the occasion.

There will be lots of credit union freebies being handed out – so call into the Piazza Centre and let Renfrewshire credit unions help you to make the most out of life and your money!

http://www.paisley.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/paisley-town-hall.png5841278Paisleyhttp://www.paisley.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/paisley-logo-trans.pngPaisley2016-09-30 13:50:522016-10-03 13:18:14Paisley Town Centre from the eye of a drone

McKays Jewellers are going to sale this week with ½ price Kenneth Cole and citizen watches and on selected silver Jewellery.

They will also offer all of our subscribers a 20% discount on products and services, including clients who wish to join their Christmas club.

John McKay Jewellers are also up for another award this November, the vows awards, which would mean if they won it they would have won all 3 awards for Jeweller of the year 2015-2016. An amazing accomplishment for everyone involved in this fantastic local business.

Core 2 Computing currently have, back to Uni/College, refurbished desktop PC deals running in store at the moment.

These include system units from as low as £150 all preloaded with Windows 7 ( some have 10 if preferred ). All refurbished desktops come with 12 month Hardware warranty for added peace of mind. Also, there are laptop deals starting from as low as £170 ( while stocks last).